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Boyd Trophy 
Summary
The Boyd Trophy is a silver model of a Fairey Swordfish, which was presented by the Fairey Aviation Company Limited in 1946, in commemoration of the work for Naval Aviation of Admiral Sir Denis Boyd, KCB, CBE, DSC RN. It is awarded annually to the naval pilot(s) or aircrew who, in the opinion of the Flag Officer, Naval Air Command, has achieved the finest feat of aviation during the previous year. It is held by the ship, station or establishment in which the winner(s) was/were serving at the time the winning feat was achieved.
| Year | Recipient | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Lt.Cdr. D.B. Law Lt. Reynolds |
Formation aerobatic display in Seafires at St Merryn. |
| 1947 | Lt.Cdr. H.J. Mortimore, CO of 733 Squadron |
Leading a flight of three Expeditors from Trincomalee to Lee-on-Solent in adverse weather conditions. |
| 1948 | Lt.Cdr. E.M. Brown, RAE Farnborough |
Trials with Rubber Deck. |
| 1949 | 1830 Squadron RNVR | 205 accident free deck landings during embarked period in HMS Illustrious. |
| 1950 | 17th Carrier Air Group, HMS Theseus |
Operations in Korea. |
| 1951 | 814 Squadron | Night flying in HMS Vengeance. |
| 1952 | 802 and 825 Squadrons | Operations in Korea. |
| 1953 | 848 Squadron | Operations in Malaya. |
| 1954 | Naval Test Squadron, Boscombe Down |
Improvements to RN aircraft. |
| 1955 | 806 Squadron | Pioneering the Sea Hawk at sea, and for contributions to tactical investigation in night strike role. |
| 1956 | Search and Rescue Flight, RNAS Lossiemouth. Lieut. R.H. Williams, C.P.O. A. Japp |
Search and Rescue Flight. Crew of a wrecked Norwegian vessel (SS Dovrefjell) off the Pentland Firth, Scotland rescued, by two R.N Westland Whirlwind helicopter crews. 3 February 1955. |
| 1957 | Not awarded | - |
| 1958 | 845 Squadron | Operations in the Persian Gulf, and salvage of SS Melika. |
| 1959 | 781 Squadron | Efficiency in communication flights. |
| 1960 | 831 Squadron | Efficiency in training with the fleet. |
| 1961 | HMS Protector's Flight | Efficiency in Antarctica. |
| 1962 | 815 Squadron | Bringing the Wessex HAS.1 into service, pioneering night and all-weather ASW tactics and Wessex SAR procedures. |
| 1963 | 846 Squadron | Operations in Borneo. |
| 1964 | 845 Squadron | Services in defence of Malaysia. |
| 1965 | 759 Squadron | Converting Jet Provost pilots to Hunter aircraft. |
| 1966 | No. 849C Flight | Outstanding Performance in HMS Ark Royal during Mozambique patrol. |
| 1967 | 801 Squadron | Bringing the Buccaneer S.2 into service. |
| 1968 | 814 Squadron | Bringing the Wessex HAS.3 to a high state of operational effectiveness at sea. |
| 1969 | Lt.Cdr. P.C. Marshall, AFC | Exceptional skill and personal courage in bringing a badly damaged Phantom safely back to base. |
| 1970 | Lt.Cdr. V. Sirrett | The work of 700S Squadron, the Sea King Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU). |
| 1971 | 826 Squadron, HMS Eagle |
Rescue of crew from SS Steel Vendor. In bad weather, two Sea King helicopters took off the crew of 40. |
| 1972 | Lt.Cdr. Davis Lt. C.D. Walkinshaw Lt. Park Lt. Lucas |
Flying 2,800 miles from HMS Ark Royal to Belize. The operation involved two Buccaneers flown in a show of strength to deter Guatemala from invading British Honduras as it was then known. |
| 1973 | Not awarded | - |
| 1974 | Lt. I. McKechnie, HMS Andromeda Flight |
Evacuation of refugees from Cyprus. |
| 1975 | Not awarded | - |
| 1976 | Lt.Cdr. K.M.C. Simmons Lt. T.J. MacMahon Lt. A.B. Ross CPO ACM E.A. Butler HMS Antrim Flight |
Rescue off Iceland. |
| 1977 | 700L Squadron, the Lynx IFTU | Introducing the Lynx into Naval service. |
| 1978 | Aircrews of Culdrose squadrons | Outstanding record of rescues, medical and humanitarian flights during the year. |
| 1979 | HMS Fife Flight | Outstanding performance in Dominica, following the devastation caused by Hurricane David. |
| 1980 | Not awarded. | - |
| 1981 | 801 Squadron | Outstanding achievements in operating the Sea Harrier, embarked in HMS Invincible. |
| 1982 | Cdr. T.J.H. Gedge | Leadership on the ground and in the air, perseverance, skill, professional knowledge and control. |
| 1983 | 705 Squadron | Excellent overall performance, training achievement, outstanding airmanship and exceptional contribution to the prestige of Naval Aviation. |
| 1984 | 846 Squadron | Operations off Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war.[3] |
| 1985 | 815 Squadron, HMS Beaver Flight, No. 244 Flight | CASEVAC of two casualties from the Japanese freighter REEFER DOLPHIN 400 miles southwest of Lands End in the early hours of 7 October. Recovery of the casualties was carried at night in heavy seas and high winds caused by the tail end of Hurricane Gloria.[4][5] |
| 1986 | 849 Squadron | |
| 1987 | Not awarded. | |
| 1988 | 815 Squadron, 829 Squadron | |
| 1989 | 815 Squadron, HMS Alacrity Flight, No. 233 Flight | |
| 1990 | 829 Squadron, HMS Sheffield Flight, No. 234 Flight | |
| 1991 | 845 Squadron | |
| 1992 | 771 Squadron | |
| 1993 | 845 Squadron |
References edit
- Citations
- ^ Sturtivant, p.488
- ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 383.
- ^ "Boyd Trophy for 846 Sqn". Air Pictorial. Vol. 47, no. 8. August 1985. p. 288.
- ^ Daily Express 8th October 1985. 'Helicopter heroes in sea storm battle'.
- ^ Official MOD Citation for The Boyd Trophy 1985
- Bibliography
- Ray Sturtivant, Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm, Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-120-7
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.